DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – A thrilled West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira said Saturday she was pleased with the way her side had executed in playing unbeaten to win the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.
They beat Pakistan Women by 130 runs in the final on Saturday, a victory that saw them move to fifth in the International Cricket Council rankings.
“It is truly fantastic to walk away with the tournament trophy, to be undefeated at that, and to also know we have improved on the global rankings,” Aguilleira said.
“It was a great event for us. I’m extremely happy with the team effort. We were well prepared, we were hungry for success, we were consistent throughout and it paid off.
“We have qualified for the World Cup and we will build towards that tournament. We believe we have the players who are quite capable of winning the World Cup two years down the road in India. We played well here in Bangladesh and we will look to carry the same form into other tournaments.”
West Indies marched imperiously through the group stages, winning all their games, to finish unbeaten and qualify for the 2013 World Cup.
They then whipped Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the semi-finals to clinch a spot in the final where they rode roughshod over Pakistan.
They piled up 250 for five off their 50 overs thanks to Deandra Dottin’s aggressive 95 off just 84 balls and then dismissed Pakistan for 120, with off-spinner Anisa Mohammed claiming an amazing seven for 14.
“I am really happy the way things worked out today. First, I’m extremely happy we won the tournament. All the girls worked hard and it is good we have the trophy to take back home,” said Dottin.
“I have been in good form throughout the tournament so I knew I could get a big score today. I looked to pace my innings and when I got balls to hit I made sure I put them away. The balls were in my zone so I just stepped out and cleared the boundary.”
Mohammed added: “It’s been great to play here in the sub-continent where the wickets are good for spin. I had hoped to take five wickets in the final but to walk away with seven wickets, I’m thrilled and to have helped the side to winning the final too.”